I’m reading Os Guinness’ The Call right now. It is a book worth reading.

The chapter that shares the title of this post talks about recognizing that all we have comes from God. All we have has been given to us.

Perhaps that is somewhat easier for someone like me to experience. I am a “faith missionary.” My income is based on gifts given to Wycliffe or LBT to support our participation in this ministry. The gifts are a reflection of the value people place in mission rather than the value they place in the specific labor we produce.
I have labored in many vocations and callings (all directed at getting God’s Word into the hands of people yet without it): as a translator; as a student in graduate school; as a computer systems analyst; as a middle manager; as a CEO in a mission; as a consultant to missionaries. At no time did my labor ever affect the amount I was paid.

It is an odd feeling. I can work an 80 hour week or a 35 hour week. There is no real correlation between that and whether I take home enough money to take my wife on a vacation.

It makes me recognize in a unique way that what I have is a gift. A gift from God. Often given through the hands of family and friends. A gift for which I give thanks to God and to those who share their gifts with us.

I choose to think thanks.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 9th, 2007 at 9:51 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.